Shinji Mikami leaving Tango Gameworks after 12 years
UPDATE: Bethesda now confirms.
UPDATE 1.45pm UK: An official public statement from Bethesda via Twitter has now confirmed Mikami's departure "in the coming months".
Here's that statement in full:
"We can confirm that Shinji Mikami has decided to leave Tango Gameworks in the coming months. We thank him for his work as a creative leader and supportive mentor to young developers on The Evil Within franchise, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and, of course, Hi-Fi Rush.
"We wish Mikami-san well inthe future and are excited by what lies ahead for the talented developers at Tango."
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has also now commented, thanking Mikami for his contributions to the industry and time working together while Tango Gameworks was part of Microsoft Studios.
"Thank you Mikami-san for your leadership and your great contributions to the industry," Spencer wrote on Twitter. "Your guidance and input over the last 2 years has been valuable to me. Looking forward to our continued friendship and looking forward to what lies ahead for [Tango Gameworks]."
ORIGINAL STORY 11am UK: Shinji Mikami, CEO and founder of Tango Gameworks, is set to leave the studio after 12 years.
The news was shared in a company-wide email sent to ZeniMax employees from senior vice president of development at Bethesda Todd Vaughn. The email was seen by TrueAchievements and verified by Bethesda.
"I am writing today to let you know that studio head Shinji Mikami has decided to leave Tango Gameworks in the coming months," said Vaughn. "Mikami-san has been a creative leader and supportive mentor to young developers at Tango for 12 years through his work on the Evil Within franchise, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and of course, Hi-Fi Rush."
A spokesperson for Bethesda told TrueAchievements: "We wish Mikami-san well in the future and are excited by what lies ahead for the talented developers at Tango."
It's unclear what Mikami will move to next, but Tango Gameworks will continue working on its projects while Bethesda and Tango leadership discuss the studio's next steps.
Mikami has worked in the games industry for 33 years and is best known for his work on the Resident Evil survival-horror series while working at Capcom - specifically as director on Resident Evil, its GameCube remake, and Resident Evil 4. Whilst there, he also directed the first Dino Crisis game, sci-fi shooter P.N. 03, and beat 'em up God Hand, among work on other games.
Tango Gameworks was established by Mikami in 2010 and later bought by Bethesda. It's created The Evil Within series, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and most recently Hi-Fi Rush.
In his company email, Vaughn described Hi-Fi Rush as "one of the most successful launches for Bethesda and Xbox in recent years", and said it has "generated significant positive momentum for the business and Tango".
"Hi-Fi Rush is unashamed to be loud and brash and playful, and it's confident in its execution," I wrote in my review of the game for Eurogamer. Perhaps this brighter, more colourful game is a sign of the studio's future without Mikami.